page_title: Geography of Somerset
section_title: Protected areas
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Somerset / Protected areas
caption_attribution_description: English: Deer in the Quarme valley. A herd wondering about my next move while I wait for theirs. They are on the slopes of Kitnor Heath a little to the east of where 760431 was taken, and the view behind is down the valley and across to fields near Codsend.
context_page_description: The county of Somerset is in South West England, bordered by the Bristol Channel and the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, and Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south, and Devon to the west. The climate, influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the prevailing westerly winds, tends to be mild, damp and windy.
  Somerset is predominantly a rural and agricultural county. The main upland areas are the Mendip Hills in the east and the Quantock Hills further west, the Blackdown Hills form the county's southern border, and Exmoor is on the western fringes. Between the Mendips and the Quantocks is the large area of flat, low-lying ground known as the Somerset Levels. The county's main rivers are the River Axe in the northeast, and the Rivers Brue and Parrett which flow northwestward through the levels into the Bristol Channel.
  The landscape is largely determined by the underlying geology. The Carboniferous Limestone that forms the Mendips has been eroded to form gorges and caves. Exmoor is an extensive area of moorland and a National Park and the Somerset Levels contains wetland areas of international importance for birds.
context_section_description: The Gordano Valley west of the Port of Bristol stretches past the coastal towns of Portishead and Clevedon. It has been designated as a National nature reserve, and much of it may be observed by travellers on the south bound M5 motorway. The Chew Valley is another managed water way and woodland in the same area. The Avon Valley to the East of Bristol continues to Bath and beyond towards Wiltshire. The western end of the Mendip Hills has, since 1972, been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Blackdown Hills were designated an AONB in 1991, and the Quantock Hills have held the status since 1956, the first such designation in England under the Act.
  The Somerset Levels is a wetland area of international importance, with large numbers of wading birds overwintering there.
  Exmoor is a National Park straddling two counties with 71% in Somerset and 29% in Devon. The area of the park, which includes the Brendon Hills and the Vale of Porlock is 692.8 square kilometres (267.5 sq mi) of hilly open moorland and the park has 55 kilometres (34 mi) of coastline.
  Steep Holm is protected as a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).  A large number of sea bird are resident or visit the island, particularly European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and Lesser black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus), but it is mainly preserved for its botanical interest; it is the only site in the United Kingdom where wild peonies grow.
caption: Deer in Exmoor National Park
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